"This brutally romantic mafia love story will grip you!" ~#1 New York Times bestselling author Helen Hardt Arranged-marriage, age-gap, Mafia/cartel romance Capo to the Luciano Famiglia was my birthright. The cruelty needed to succeed in this life has been beaten into me since I was a young boy. My father, Vincent Luciano, taught by example and with the slap of his hand. My independent streak took me down paths my father would never have gone. With our enemies gaining strength, it is my idea to attempt an alliance with an unlikely bedfellow. The Roríguez Cartel and the Luciano Famiglia are improbable partners, yet even Vincent Luciano can’t deny the possible benefits. The only way to solidify the deal is for me to marry Catalina Ruiz, the eldest daughter of Andres Ruiz, a top lieutenant in the Roríguez Cartel. Catalina is young, beautiful, and thinks she understands the path she is being forced to follow. There is no way for her to know the monster she is about to wed. A man doesn’t become a made man at thirteen if he is capable of love. That emotion is beyond my scope of expertise. Saving the famiglia is my goal. And once this alliance is made, ours will be but the first of the brutal vows exchanged. Have you been Aleatha’d?
더 보기Catalina
I’d never imagined it would happen to me. I’d heard the stories and even seen the scars. That was the evidence of someone else’s fate. Not mine. Never mine. Our family was different. I was going to be different. It had been my dream until my dream ended, and reality took over.
Papá and I stood in the doorway. The sun mercilessly shone down on the Lucianos’ gardens, casting the guests in a shower of sunlight. The corset of my wedding gown kept me from slumping forward as bile rose from my empty stomach, teasing my throat. Slowly and steadily, I inhaled and exhaled, swallowing my physical response. I couldn’t show my unease especially not with our special guest. Doing so would be an unacceptable sign of weakness, one that wouldn’t be tolerated, not by my father, our family, or Dario’s family.
With my chin held high, my shoulders straight, and my hand resting on the sleeve of Papá’s custom suit, I kept my expression unreadable and faced the altar. As my father and I stepped onto the path, the music filled the air. Without prompt, the congregation stood.
The long path separating our two families was covered by a soft runner and dotted with red rose petals. I imagined each petal as a droplet of blood, signifying the carnage that would occur if I ran away, turned around, or answered the priest truthfully when he asked the question of my willing sacrifice.
There was no escaping.
Even if I ran, the damage would be done. A deal was made uniting the Roríguez cartel and the Kansas City Famiglia. Much the same as for the men who swore a vow to the different crime organizations, this marriage was my vow—my promise to be the obedient daughter and wife—a promise that was only escapable through death.
Despite the fanfare, this wedding was nothing more than a transaction, the exchange of goods and services, the type that happened nearly every minute of every day. Soon, I, the daughter of one of Patron Roríguez’s top lieutenants, would be the property of the Kansas City Famiglia, more specifically, of Dario Luciano.
Throughout my twenty-four years, I’d read stories and watched movies about women in history calmly walking to their death. With each step closer to my future husband, I pictured some of those women: Anne Boleyn and Mary, Queen of Scots came to mind.
As hundreds of pairs of eyes watched my progression, my mind fixated on the two queens, one killed by her husband and the other by her cousin. Those stories were from the past, yet the irony wasn’t lost on me. The family members seated to either side would consider my failure to marry a betrayal, punishable with the same fate as the queens endured.
For the last few yards to the gazebo housing the altar, my mind was no longer thinking about ancient history. Those thoughts were lost, sucked into the black abyss of Dario’s dark stare. The future capo of the Kansas City crime family had his attention laser-focused on me. Even through the lace of my veil, I physically felt the scorch of his gaze warming my skin, singeing my flesh, and leaving goose bumps in its wake.
Dressed in his custom suit, Dario was as handsome as he was intimidating. Towering at least eight inches taller than I, he stood statuesque next to his brother, Dante—a younger version of Dario. Dario’s wide shoulders created the V to his trim torso. With his dark hair combed back away from his forehead, I dared a glance at his prominent cheekbones, and the sharp edge to his clean-shaven chin.
He wasn’t capo yet, but his aura personified the title.
As Papá and I came to a stop, the priest began his sermon. While everyone around me spoke a familiar language, what I heard was foreign, an unrecognizable agreement, such as the teacher from the old Peanuts cartoon where the words were garbled. I watched in slow motion as Papá lifted my hand from his sleeve and placed it in Dario’s larger one.
The giving away of the bride.
An object, a good for a service, a transaction.
Dario’s fingers surrounded mine as I willed myself to stay calm. Years of experience within the cartel had secured my mask. I could appear the perfect bride with eyes only for her future husband. While the guests could be fooled, I doubted Dario was. After all, he undoubtedly felt the way my hand trembled in his.
“Today,” the priest said, “we gather together to witness the holy union of Catalina Ruiz and Dario Luciano.”
Three months laterDarioI woke with my body wrapped around Catalina, spooning her, my front to her back. Her long hair tickled my nose. My hard cock ached with my need for the woman in my arms. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. In the five months since our wedding, she’d managed to break down the walls I’d placed around my heart. It wasn’t only my desire for her body. It was visceral need I had to be in her light.That’s what Catalina was to me, a shining light—a beacon—in the darkness of my life. After losing Josie, I made the decision to never open up to anyone else. The marriage was to be part of the alliance, nothing more. There was no way for me to fathom what this woman would do to me.I’d seen a fire in her based on her determination to continue her education. That was rare in our world. Most of the women in the famiglia were content to be married, pampered, and kept. While some weren’t content, they willingly reaped the benefits of their husband’s wealth.Catalina surprised
Catalina“What do you think is happening out there?” I asked, pacing the length of the room and back.Both Jasmine and Contessa only stared my direction.“You’ve been with the famiglia longer than I have,” I said. “I’m scared.”“Mr. Luciano will prevail,” Contessa said.“He’s never told me what he does,” Jasmine said, a smile curling her lips. “He made it seem like his job was running Emerald Club, but Josie shared more with me.”“What did she tell you?” I asked, taking a seat beside Jasmine on one of the beds. Scooting back to the wall, I stretched out my legs.“She told me the world wasn’t black and white.” Jasmine looked down. “Before we came here, Josie worked really hard to get us our own place. I only remember bits and pieces. I remember after she got me out of foster care, we spent a lot of time going from one person’s place to the next. Eventually, we’d be kicked out. There were times we spent some nights in her car. We’d shower at a truck stop.“It would have been easy for he
DarioGiovanni raced against time toward Lee’s Summit Municipal Airport. He wasn’t the only one trying to beat the clock. Holding my breath, I made a call to Jorge Roríguez. For a split second, I recalled the beginning of our alliance. I’d risked my life for our famiglia. This alliance wasn’t about weakness, but about growing stronger through partnership. In the grand scheme of both organizations, we had different goals. Yes, it all revolved around money—the more, the better.The Roríguez cartel’s main income stream was illegal drugs. They dabbled in prostitution and gambling, where the famiglia sold illegal drugs and protection from the bratva. We used our businesses as a way to clean our income, better known as money laundering. Our established contacts within all levels of government and law enforcement allowed us liberties the cartel didn’t have.Jorge answered his personal cell phone. “I’m disappointed.”“Me too,” I replied. “Not like you think.”His volume rose and his accent th
CatalinaWith his wrists bound by zip ties, Rocco’s curses filled the air.Piero ripped the sleeve from Rocco’s shirt revealing a bandage.Holding Jasmine against me, I lifted my brow in question.“He’s the man who tried to get to Jasmine,” Piero said. “The one I shot in New York.”“Rocco?” How had he been in New York and gotten back to Kansas City before Jasmine? I knew the answer. Rocco had flown while Piero and Jasmine drove.“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rocco replied, his gaze filled with hatred directed at both me and Jasmine. He spoke to Armando. “Let me go. I’m the next consigliere. If you let me go, I might spare your life.”When Armando turned to me, I shook my head and directed my message toward Rocco. “Dante is the next consigliere. When my husband learns what you’ve done, you’re going to wish you weren’t spared.” I turned to Armando and tilted my head toward his blood-soaked sleeve. “Are you okay?”“Just a scratch.”I hoped he was right. “Find out if Mia is re
CatalinaDario didn’t answer the first or second time I called. My next call was to Giovanni. He answered after the first ring.“Ma’am?”“Where’s Dario? I’ve tried to call him twice, and he isn’t answering.”“We’re at Mr. Luciano’s apartment building.”“Dario’s? You’re here.”“No, ma’am,” Giovanni replied. “Mr. Vincent Luciano.”I didn’t know he had an apartment. “Is it here in the city?”“Yes. The two Mr. Lucianos went upstairs about twenty minutes ago.”“I need to get a message to Dario.”Giovanni said, “I can…” His voice lowered in volume. “Shit. They just came out of the elevator.”“Is everything all right?”“Ma’am, I need to go.”“Please ask him to call me.”“Will do.”I disconnected the call. Taking a seat on one of the lounge chairs, I stared down at my phone, willing it to ring. My thoughts were filled with scenes from the last two months. I never expected to have such strong feelings for a man I basically recently met. There was no denying that my feelings were there. I knew
DarioIt went against the omertá to kill the capo dei capi. If I chose to take my father’s life, I would never be capo. I wouldn’t be the first son to murder his father. Recently, there was a situation in the Chicago outfit. While no one can prove the son was responsible for the boss’s death—he had an alibi—that didn’t stop the rumors. I’d met the father more than once. With the son in control, Chicago was now a better outfit.Dante was seated shotgun while Giovanni drove the bulletproof SUV.“He’s in the city,” Dante said after a series of text messages with some of our top soldiers—the ones we knew we could trust, or at least we thought we could. My brother was speaking of our father.“Take us to his apartment building,” I said.Giovanni took the next turn and headed toward our father’s penthouse.“Fuck, I’d rather not see Alesia,” Dante complained.“I don’t want to see our father either.” The fucker broke his word again about stepping down, claiming the famiglia needed him. Last ni
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